Student Rabbi Koach Baruch Frazier: Parshat Beshalach
12 Shevat 5782
January 14, 2022
Shabbat shalom y'all.
What a blessing it is to be with you tonight. I'm Koach, I use they and he pronouns, and I am piped in from Lenni Lenape land in Southwest Philly. I'm a chocolate brown, transmasculine human wearing a blue and burgundy striped shirt, red kippah, and black-rimmed glasses standing in front of a tapestry with a depiction of the planets.
This week in parshat Beshalach, we meet our biblical ancestors at the climax of the exodus story. The Israrelities have finally been released by Pharaoh to leave the narrow place and the first thing we learn is that Gd recalculates the coordinates on the GPS leading the people away from the fastest route to the scenic one - protecting them from immediately having to fight, knowing that might make them want to return to Egypt. Now, right out of the gate we see that even before redemption comes, care must be taken to make sure that those coming out of the bonds of oppression aren't met with adversarial forces — making them believe that liberation is no different than bondage. And my Gd, that's a good word and we could stop right there and spend the rest of Shabbat discussing how we as a people have failed at this time and time again and strategize on what needs to be put in place to make sure it doesn't continue.
But let's keep going, because our trancestor Yosef reemerges in the text. If we time travel back to the end of Beresheit, in chapter 50, we can hear Yosef saying to their brothers, "Gd will remember you, and bring you up from this land that was sworn to our ancestors. And when y'all go, remember me and carry my bones with you." And back in Shemot chapter 13, verse 19, we see that the message was received and it was Moshe who took Yosef's bones and made sure they traveled with them. I am so grateful that at least in death, Yosef was shown the dignity that they were so deserving of in life from their family. Kavod is the Hebrew word for dignity or honor. In fact, it is the Piel form of kabed, which is weighty or heavy. And when we treat others or have been treated by others as if our humanity has no weight or matters little, there is no dignity. I choose to imagine in this moment that it was in carrying the weight of Yosef's bones that our people learned that part of being family, being part of a community, is sharing not just each other's burdens, but sharing each other's dignity so that we are not carrying it alone. Yosef deserved that. And so do you.
So much liberating Torah and we haven't made it past the first five verses! Hang in there with me y'all, I promise we'll make it to the end.
Now, while we are told that the last plague was that of the killing of the first born, we find that YHVH isn't done hardening Pharaoh's heart and the people aren't in the clear. The people are on the move and while they camp by the sea, Pharaoh is in hot pursuit with what the text says are "600 chariots and horses filled with people." My goodness this is terrifying! And the Israelites confirmed that in Exodus 14:11-12 when they cried out to Hashem and Moshe saying, "Did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness because there weren't enough graves in Egypt or nah? You could have left us in Egypt if you were just gonna let us die out here!" It was in this moment that Hashem gave Moshe the play-by-play of how they are going to escape the terror and all the while Hashem will get the glow up they have been looking forward to since they told Moshe to tell Pharaoh to "Let My People Go - so that they may serve me!"
First, Moshe must pull out his staff - the same one that he used to initiate many of the plagues – raise it up and stretch forth his hand over the sea and split it so the Israelites can flee to safety.
Second, the angel of Gd, appearing as a cloud pillar traveling in front of the camp, will go to the back to create space and a cover of darkness for protection from Pharaoh.
And by the morning when it was time to go, Moshe was ready to co-create the great escape with YHVH. Together they split the Sea of Reeds, allowing the Israelites safe passage while the wheels of the chariots were removed so they couldn't go forward, and subsequently brought the water back together, shaking it up so that those in the middle were no longer in pursuit. Wow, I can only imagine the emotional, spiritual, and physical roller coaster everyone experienced and is experiencing now through this story. How does one move through the terror and trauma of being pursued by their oppressors? What must it feel like to see the demise of your oppressor? Are you actually safe now? So many things to contemplate about this harrowing tale and our own lived experiences. But what we know, is that in the face of uncertainty and terror, the Israelites, who were promised liberation by their Gd, with an invitation by Prophetess Miriam, grabbed their drums and played the song of victory while they danced and sang.
"And the women dancing with their timbrels
Followed Miriam as she sang her song
Sing a song to the One whom we've exalted.
Miriam and the women danced and danced
the whole night long."
When we've experienced trauma, our bodies need release and Miriam knew that dancing, drumming, and singing would help the people move through what Resmaa Menakem calls "dirty pain," those feelings and emotions that come from our trauma experiences that often get stuck, leading us to respond from our most wounded parts. These acts of resilience are still some of the most powerful antidotes we have.
Now, metaphorically, the people have just been pushed out of the narrow place, birthed into a new place - bemidbar, the wilderness - where they will grow up. And life sure does come at them fast! Chapter 15, verse 22 says that they walked for three days and they couldn't find any water. And when they did finally make it to Mara, a place called bitter, the water was terrible and undrinkable. And as if on cue, the people cried out asking, "What are we supposed to drink?" Moshe then got the download from YHVH that there was a tree that he could harvest some wood from that would make the water sweet. It is shortly after this that Gd declares,
אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה רֹפְאֶֽךָ׃ , I am your healer.
Now yes, this statement is attached to Gd imploring the people to adhere to the new commandments to come, but it is clear to me that Gd is making it known that wellbeing and liberation are connected.
As we move further in the story we learn that the people continue to be the squeaky wheel that gets the oil. The text says that they are complaining but I think that they are raising QTNA, questions that need answers. Surely there should be water to drink and food to eat as they travel through the wilderness, why is that not the case? After a conversation with Hashem, Moshe and Aaron set up a system where the people gathered enough food for their households, not more, and not less. They would eat the food that day, not leaving anything for the next day, for if they kept leftovers, it would spoil. Except on the sixth day, when they would collect enough food for the sixth and seventh day, trusting that it would not spoil. But I can imagine as someone who has experienced food insecurity before, that it would be difficult not to hold onto the food that you have, not knowing if you would have enough for the next day. Our biblical ancestors were learning abundance and unlearning scarcity in real time. Yet, it was here that they began their forty-year journey being nourished by manna the entire way.
We are on our own journey through the wilderness of racial capitalism that will find every way possible to kill those of us they deem disposable. But as we move through, let us treat each other with the dignity we deserve – feeling it in our bones while we are alive. Let us look to the natural world around us to sweeten, to heal, and to nourish. Let us practice abundance as we learn to trust each other - as hard as it can be, because I promise you, we weren't made to survive on our own. Let us concern ourselves with the wellbeing of those who are journeying with us – YHVH made it clear that there's no liberation without this. And let us carry this ancestral wisdom as we journey on.
We have not come here alone
We carry our people in our bones
We have not come here alone
And if you listen we can hear them in our soul
-The Peace Poets
Shabbat shalom y'all. I love you to life.
January 14, 2022
Shabbat shalom y'all.
What a blessing it is to be with you tonight. I'm Koach, I use they and he pronouns, and I am piped in from Lenni Lenape land in Southwest Philly. I'm a chocolate brown, transmasculine human wearing a blue and burgundy striped shirt, red kippah, and black-rimmed glasses standing in front of a tapestry with a depiction of the planets.
This week in parshat Beshalach, we meet our biblical ancestors at the climax of the exodus story. The Israrelities have finally been released by Pharaoh to leave the narrow place and the first thing we learn is that Gd recalculates the coordinates on the GPS leading the people away from the fastest route to the scenic one - protecting them from immediately having to fight, knowing that might make them want to return to Egypt. Now, right out of the gate we see that even before redemption comes, care must be taken to make sure that those coming out of the bonds of oppression aren't met with adversarial forces — making them believe that liberation is no different than bondage. And my Gd, that's a good word and we could stop right there and spend the rest of Shabbat discussing how we as a people have failed at this time and time again and strategize on what needs to be put in place to make sure it doesn't continue.
But let's keep going, because our trancestor Yosef reemerges in the text. If we time travel back to the end of Beresheit, in chapter 50, we can hear Yosef saying to their brothers, "Gd will remember you, and bring you up from this land that was sworn to our ancestors. And when y'all go, remember me and carry my bones with you." And back in Shemot chapter 13, verse 19, we see that the message was received and it was Moshe who took Yosef's bones and made sure they traveled with them. I am so grateful that at least in death, Yosef was shown the dignity that they were so deserving of in life from their family. Kavod is the Hebrew word for dignity or honor. In fact, it is the Piel form of kabed, which is weighty or heavy. And when we treat others or have been treated by others as if our humanity has no weight or matters little, there is no dignity. I choose to imagine in this moment that it was in carrying the weight of Yosef's bones that our people learned that part of being family, being part of a community, is sharing not just each other's burdens, but sharing each other's dignity so that we are not carrying it alone. Yosef deserved that. And so do you.
So much liberating Torah and we haven't made it past the first five verses! Hang in there with me y'all, I promise we'll make it to the end.
Now, while we are told that the last plague was that of the killing of the first born, we find that YHVH isn't done hardening Pharaoh's heart and the people aren't in the clear. The people are on the move and while they camp by the sea, Pharaoh is in hot pursuit with what the text says are "600 chariots and horses filled with people." My goodness this is terrifying! And the Israelites confirmed that in Exodus 14:11-12 when they cried out to Hashem and Moshe saying, "Did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness because there weren't enough graves in Egypt or nah? You could have left us in Egypt if you were just gonna let us die out here!" It was in this moment that Hashem gave Moshe the play-by-play of how they are going to escape the terror and all the while Hashem will get the glow up they have been looking forward to since they told Moshe to tell Pharaoh to "Let My People Go - so that they may serve me!"
First, Moshe must pull out his staff - the same one that he used to initiate many of the plagues – raise it up and stretch forth his hand over the sea and split it so the Israelites can flee to safety.
Second, the angel of Gd, appearing as a cloud pillar traveling in front of the camp, will go to the back to create space and a cover of darkness for protection from Pharaoh.
And by the morning when it was time to go, Moshe was ready to co-create the great escape with YHVH. Together they split the Sea of Reeds, allowing the Israelites safe passage while the wheels of the chariots were removed so they couldn't go forward, and subsequently brought the water back together, shaking it up so that those in the middle were no longer in pursuit. Wow, I can only imagine the emotional, spiritual, and physical roller coaster everyone experienced and is experiencing now through this story. How does one move through the terror and trauma of being pursued by their oppressors? What must it feel like to see the demise of your oppressor? Are you actually safe now? So many things to contemplate about this harrowing tale and our own lived experiences. But what we know, is that in the face of uncertainty and terror, the Israelites, who were promised liberation by their Gd, with an invitation by Prophetess Miriam, grabbed their drums and played the song of victory while they danced and sang.
"And the women dancing with their timbrels
Followed Miriam as she sang her song
Sing a song to the One whom we've exalted.
Miriam and the women danced and danced
the whole night long."
When we've experienced trauma, our bodies need release and Miriam knew that dancing, drumming, and singing would help the people move through what Resmaa Menakem calls "dirty pain," those feelings and emotions that come from our trauma experiences that often get stuck, leading us to respond from our most wounded parts. These acts of resilience are still some of the most powerful antidotes we have.
Now, metaphorically, the people have just been pushed out of the narrow place, birthed into a new place - bemidbar, the wilderness - where they will grow up. And life sure does come at them fast! Chapter 15, verse 22 says that they walked for three days and they couldn't find any water. And when they did finally make it to Mara, a place called bitter, the water was terrible and undrinkable. And as if on cue, the people cried out asking, "What are we supposed to drink?" Moshe then got the download from YHVH that there was a tree that he could harvest some wood from that would make the water sweet. It is shortly after this that Gd declares,
אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה רֹפְאֶֽךָ׃ , I am your healer.
Now yes, this statement is attached to Gd imploring the people to adhere to the new commandments to come, but it is clear to me that Gd is making it known that wellbeing and liberation are connected.
As we move further in the story we learn that the people continue to be the squeaky wheel that gets the oil. The text says that they are complaining but I think that they are raising QTNA, questions that need answers. Surely there should be water to drink and food to eat as they travel through the wilderness, why is that not the case? After a conversation with Hashem, Moshe and Aaron set up a system where the people gathered enough food for their households, not more, and not less. They would eat the food that day, not leaving anything for the next day, for if they kept leftovers, it would spoil. Except on the sixth day, when they would collect enough food for the sixth and seventh day, trusting that it would not spoil. But I can imagine as someone who has experienced food insecurity before, that it would be difficult not to hold onto the food that you have, not knowing if you would have enough for the next day. Our biblical ancestors were learning abundance and unlearning scarcity in real time. Yet, it was here that they began their forty-year journey being nourished by manna the entire way.
We are on our own journey through the wilderness of racial capitalism that will find every way possible to kill those of us they deem disposable. But as we move through, let us treat each other with the dignity we deserve – feeling it in our bones while we are alive. Let us look to the natural world around us to sweeten, to heal, and to nourish. Let us practice abundance as we learn to trust each other - as hard as it can be, because I promise you, we weren't made to survive on our own. Let us concern ourselves with the wellbeing of those who are journeying with us – YHVH made it clear that there's no liberation without this. And let us carry this ancestral wisdom as we journey on.
We have not come here alone
We carry our people in our bones
We have not come here alone
And if you listen we can hear them in our soul
-The Peace Poets
Shabbat shalom y'all. I love you to life.